Dino Saluzzi with Rosamunde Quartett
Kultrum (ECM New Series)
Like Astor Piazzolla, the tango revivalist and visionary composer in whose
footsteps he follows, Saluzzi plays the bandoneon, a rich, complex button
accordion. He fills his beautiful compositions with ardor, longing, and
melancholy. Constantly pushing the boundaries of his music, Saluzzi performs
here with the Rosamunde Quartett, yielding a music filled with the passion
of tango and the sophistication of classical.

- Dean Suzuki

Various artists
Searching for Jimi Hendrix (The Right Stuff)
During his short, incandescent life, Jimi Hendrix produced a style of
hallucinogenic
pop that was so personal and pyrotechnic as to be his alone, impervious
to duplication or interpretation. Or so it seemed. Almost 30 years later,
the jury is still out on the former, but not the latter. This documentary
soundtrack offers 11 Hendrix classics performed by varied artists. Most
renditions are smart and head-turning: Laurie Anderson weaves an atmospheric
"1983," and Rosanne Cash polishes "Manic Depression" like someone who's
licked its dark underbelly. Hendrix himself might be surprised at the language
Chuck D uses on "Free at the Edge of an Answer," but no one captures the
Feedback King's spooky danger and instrumental sorcery.

- Alanna Nash

Garmarna
Vengeance (NorthSide)
You know you're on to something different when the backward fiddles start,
then the drum machine and samplers kick in, followed by the cool clarity
of Emma Härdelin's voice singing of revenge - all the blood and guts
of Swedish folk music in a new context. Once you've lifted your jaw off
the floor at the way ancient and modern fit seamlessly together, you'll
find yourself hypnotized.

- Chris Nickson

The Chemical Brothers
Surrender (Astralwerks)
Two years ago, the Chemical Brothers were the first electronic dance artists
to win a Best Rock Instrumental Grammy, for "Block Rockin' Beats." On this
their third album, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons filter out the hip-hop references
in favor of bringing their indie rock and pop influences to the fore, working
with heroes like New Order's Bernard Sumner, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie,
Oasis' Noel Gallagher (who sang on the last album's post-rave comedown
"Setting Sun"), and Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval.

Complementing the record's instrumental breakbeat tracks are pop gems like
"Out of Control" and "Dream On," a hallucinatory lullaby with vocals from
Mercury Rev's Jonathan Donahue.

- Stacy Osbaum

Regina Carter
Rhythms of the Heart (Verve)
A double novelty for jazz - a female instrumentalist and a violinist, for
God's sake - Carter has gained instant cachet with her aggressive
self-confidence
and muscular flash. Actually, she'd do well to lose some of that muscle
and flash; she's yet to unlock the cry of vulnerability that lies at the
heart of the violin's song. Best cut: a reggae take on the Temptations'
"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone," featuring Cassandra Wilson's vocals.

- Tony Scherman

Jim Hall & Pat Metheny
Jim Hall & Pat Metheny (Telarc)
Guitarist Pat Metheny has been hounding his idols since day one. As a
youngster,
his temerity led him to sit in and wow vibraphonist Gary Burton. After
years of homage, he recorded with multi-instrumentalist Ornette Coleman,
yielding the critically acclaimed "Song X."

Now Metheny has Jim Hall - that seminal six-string icon - in the crosshairs.
This sublime duo creates tasteful, sometimes aggressive counterpoint around
such classic fare as "Summertime" and "All the Things You Are," and then
conspires on five improvised pieces in a whirlwind of creativity. Soon
we'll all be old, and this recording too shall be deemed classic.

- James Rozzi

John Tavener
Eternity's Sunrise (harmonia mundi)
Tavener's music closed Princess Diana's funeral in 1997. Here, regal with
handbells and solo soprano, Eternity's Sunrise comprises five works
performed
by the Academy of Ancient Music. Incorporating period instruments, orthodox
texts, and contemporary harmonies, he makes music that soothes our sense
of the world's dissonance.

- Colin Berry

Ben Folds Five
The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner (550 Music/Epic)
Ben Folds Five could have cozied up just fine with the likes of the Beatles,
Queen, Elton John, and Joe Jackson. Why? Because the alt-pop trio cleverly
cops nearly every sound ever made by these musicians. In fact, listening
to this album is like a pop-music crash course.

The catchy "Army" tempo-shifts from ivory-pounding Broadway bombast to
witty slacker ode ("Well I thought about the Army / Dad said 'Son, you're
fuckin' high'"). "Narcolepsy" weaves between dreamy pop minuet and arena-ready
progrock. But pretty as it all is, one yearns for a song that doesn't sound
so borrowed. Like many unauthorized biographies, this disc has the feel
of a well-done clip job.